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Filmmaker Jared Lapidus on the Art and Science of Features and Commercials
He talks Terry Gilliam, 'Office Race,' Google x NBCU and more
Jared is a director and writer. His work first gained attention via his sketch comedy group Reverse Cowboys, where he parlayed their string of viral hits into television directorial work, along with dozens of commercial campaigns for TurboTax, Starbucks, Google, Verizon, Pepsi and many more. Jared has worked with Martin Short and Kevin Kline on Lorne Michaels’ Maya & Marty and directed Netflix’s Emmy nominated series The Who Was Show, along with What’s Cooking Tonight?, a Netflix special starring Michelle Obama, Jennifer Garner and Jack Black. He recently directed comedian Matteo Lane’s debut standup special for Hulu, and made his feature film directing debut with Office Race, a Paramount + original which he also co-wrote. It stars sBeck Bennett, Joel McHale, J.B. Smoove, Alyson Hannigan and Kelsey Grammer.
We spent two minutes with Jared to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.
Jared, tell us …
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I grew up on Long Island. My family would visit NYC nearly every weekend, and I couldn’t wait to one day get to live there. Thankfully, I got into NYU and spent the ensuing two decades living my version of the New York City (fever)dream. But my priorities quickly shifted after starting a family, and we recently moved down to Atlanta for a bit more space and a bit less dog shit to step over.
How you first realized you were creative.
If I had to point to something specific, it was probably when some other kid called me “weird” for wanting to go to a performing arts summer camp to study folk guitar and computer animation. Super weird, I know.
A moment from high school or college that changed your life.
When I was in high school, I got my hands on a miniDV camcorder and video editing software and realized the potential they held: The opportunity to superimpose images and ideas, to tell a story (or a joke), to sculpt and shape the viewer’s experience. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. And I don’t think I’ve ever recovered from it, thankfully.
Your most important creative inspirations, and some recent stuff you love.
Growing up, I was obsessed with the films of Terry Gilliam—the weird and wonderful worlds he created, and the unique stories he told. If you haven’t seen The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, remedy this immediately. Only after becoming a filmmaker in my own right did I have any real sense of how staggering an achievement each one of his films was. Not only creatively and technically, but also as labors of love.
One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.
I spent about 7 years getting my debut feature film, Office Race, from the page to the screen. The film is an ensemble sports comedy, in the style of Happy Gilmore and Dodgeball—ya know, the absurd comedies that Hollywood sadly doesn’t make any more. Alas, we were forced to release the film during the SAG x WGA strikes, so our PR got torpedoed. But for anyone who’s looking for a fun, breezy 82-minute watch, Office Race is available to stream on Paramount +. Despite the immense challenges we faced, I’m still incredibly proud of the film. My co-writer James Kilmoon and I are already hard at work on our next feature script.
A recent project you’re proud of.
This past holiday season, I shot a fun campaign for Google and NBCU. We were tasked with creating three fake Hallmark-style Christmas movie trailers, showcasing Google’s new AI features, and starring talent from across the NBCU television universe. Shooting a parody film trailer is very labor intensive. You’re attempting to give the impression of a full film, so you’re shooting tons of locations and coverage and cutaways. We had to shoot three unique film trailers in as many days. It was an ambitious undertaking. But thankfully, they were an instant hit, which made all the hard work (and the pneumonia I caught on set) totally worth it. (“Sleigh My Name,” “The Naughty Lister,” “The Gift EXchange.”)
Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago.
One is Justin Reardon’s NutriGrain “Feel Great” spec spot. You probably remember seeing it on ebaumsworld, long before Youtube or social media existed. It was brilliantly off-beat, and so convincingly produced that it felt like a genuine broadcast spot, albeit with an insane premise and unhinged performances. Not long after this, actual broadcast spots began to look similarly edgy and experimental. I’m no advertising historian, but I feel like this one spec spot had an outsized influence shaping industry tastes and trends. At least it did with me!
Someone else’s work you admired lately.
Oscar Hudson’s latest piece for Polymarket is a pretty jaw-dropping achievement in just about every way. An original concept combined with spectacular execution. And as a life-long videogame aficionado, the premise speaks to me on a personal level. Plus, I’m always a sucker for practical effects, and they achieved some outrageously clever and convincing visuals.
Your main strength as a creative person.
Filmmaking, and especially commercial filmmaking, is an insanely high-stress enterprise. The clock is always ticking, and the cash register is always whirring. To me, stress tolerance is the most underrated asset to have as a director. Throughout the process, my primary goal is to cultivate a relaxed, creative, collaborative environment, where the crew feels empowered to contribute and take ownership, and actors are encouraged to have fun and experiment. I want everyone to walk away from the experience feeling great about the day, and excited for the next one. As far as I’m concerned, I want the process itself to be as satisfying as the end product.
Your biggest weakness.
I’m supposed to say that I care too much, or something, right? Well, I do care, sorry not sorry. So much so that I try to stay involved with every project through the edit, and all the way to delivery—sitting in on the color session, giving notes on the sound mix and talking to the strategy folks about the ad buy. Okay maybe not that last part, but you get the idea.
A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.
Alon Simcha, my EP at Thinking Machine (who represents me for commercials). Alon got me my very first commercial job, directing a holiday spot for Oreo starring Arturo Castro. At the time, I was writing and directing a lot of sketch comedy, and Alon was confident that I could parlay that skillset into the world of advertising. He taught me how the business worked and helped generate lots of opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have had.
What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.
Trying to figure out a way to monetize spending time with my kids without making them the commodity.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
